HI, I ve been taking hiv meds for 2 decades ...the meds cause some fat problems around the ab, may i see a plastic surgeon to remove the fat, other than taking the drug egrifta?

Response from Dr. Henry

If the fat is intraabdominal then often it is not amendable to simple liposuction which can be of some benefit if the fat is subcutaneous. Use of Egrifta which is very expensive, has to be injected, has some side effects, that may result in often a 1/2-1 inch loss of fat from waist that reverses when stopped-for those and other reasons Egrifta has not been used much in clinical practice. Genetics can be an important factor (how do similarly aged or older relatives in your family look). Diet, exercise, and sometimes a switch in HIV medications help a subset of patients though often the problem is difficult to manage effectively. KH

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